Sunflower
by bananaspit
Summary: Syaoran is forbidden to go out into the sun because of his skin condition. After 7 years, he has all but given up hope on a cure but one chance encounter changes his mind. A story of a man readjusting to society after years of social seclusion to chase after a woman's heart. SxS.
1. Prologue 1: The Exposition

**Disclaimer: I don't own CCS.**

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Prologue Part 1:

A lone boy sat up on his bed with his back reclining on a pillow against the wall. He had his head turned to his left towards a window. It's been hours since he had moved and his neck was beginning to ache, but he didn't care.

It was a sunny day outside and yet the thick curtains were drawn close together on purpose so that only a sliver of sunlight managed to escape into the room. Nevertheless, the natural warmth only the sun could bring kissed the boy's face through the curtains and brought a small smile to his pale face. His eyes were closed as he enjoyed the few hours the sun shone straight into the curtains.

And then, it was over.

The sun set and the moon slowly rose into the night sky. Feeling the now cool air brush his cheeks, the boy opened his eyes, sighed, and lied back down, gently massaging his neck. He pulled his covers over his face trying to preserve as much of the sun's warmth as possible but eventually, that too left. He popped his head out and was greeted by the artificial lighting that filled his room all day and for most of the night.

Two sharp knocks came from the door. Without waiting for the boy's consent, a busy looking lady holding a cell phone rushed in.

"Delay the meeting tomorrow- No, don't tell me you can't. Just do it, bye." The woman ended her conversation without room for any extra remarks and faced the boy.

"Syaoran," she said taking out a tablet from her bag, "I can't stay long today. I need to get back to the office later to wrap some work up so I can't eat with you tonight. But here," she handed Syaoran a plastic bag with some Styrofoam take out boxes inside, "I brought you some nice dinner. Help yourself."

The woman slid her finger around the tablet and poked at it some. Not looking up from the tablet, she said in a monotonous voice just like she did yesterday and the day before yesterday, "I'll see you tomorrow, don't go out in the sun. Take care, love you, bye."

Syaoran had by then sat up. But before he could say anything to the woman, she had left the room, already beginning another conversation on the phone with someone else.

He looked at the bag of food in his hands and said softly, "Thanks, mom."

Unlike normal children, Syaoran could never go out during daytime. He was eight and just like any child, he wanted to go out, play sports, and have fun. But ever since he was a baby, Syaoran was diagnosed with a severe case of polymorphic light eruption.

In other words, he was allergic to the sun.

Every time his skin was exposed to the sun for more than 5 minutes, he would start breaking out in hives and itching everywhere. When it happens, he cannot help but scratch until he bleeds all over his body.

Though he was taken to countless specialists and put on pounds of ointment, nothing seemed to work. And so, his mom, the woman who visited him, decided to give up and just homeschool him instead.

But even as Syaoran grew up, he never blamed his mom. He was well brought up and understood the circumstances. She was a single mom and simply did not have time to take care of him while supporting him and his four older sisters. If anything, Syaoran only knew respect for his mom even though their relationship may not be the best.

Neighboring kids laugh and call him a vampire every time they see him out at night. They chant coffin boy behind his back but nothing Syaoran yelled back could stop their teases. But luckily, he still found fun and company in his life.

His cousin Eriol always visited him after school let out and together, the two had plenty of adventures in the house. They get so wild that sometimes, the house gets turned upside down by these two monkeys!

He didn't really like playing with his sisters though because they treated him like a doll, literally. The role of the husband does get tiring after the umphteenth time.

Though the house can get rowdy and fun, Syaoran always yearned to go out, feel the sun's warmth on his back, and play during the day like a normal boy even if for just a minute or two.

Last week, he was bored waiting for Eriol to get back from school and was done with his lessons for the day. The attic was still, for the most part, the only uncharted land of the house. But unfortunately, as he was climbing up the ladder, he slipped and fell, breaking his right leg. And that's how he found himself in the Tomoeda Hospital.

Syaroran set aside the food and flopped back onto his bed grumbling, "Stupid leg! At least at home I had more things to do." He glanced over at the food and at the clock. It was still early and he didn't want to sleep just yet. After a moment's thought, reinforced by his stomach's protests, eating didn't sound like such a bad idea. And so he ate some, read a couple of chapters from a novel left next to his bedside by Eriol when he visited Syaoran last night, and fell asleep.

The next day, he woke up to the loud chirps coming from his window. The clock ticking beside his bed ever so patiently still read 7 AM. Being a morning person, he just yawned and ran his fingers through his chocolate colored hair a bit. Since he couldn't exactly get up and walk to the restroom to get washed up, he pressed the button by his bedside for a nurse to help him.

He didn't have to wait long. Most of the other kids in the children's ward were not even up yet and so a nurse came by his room momentarily to help him with his morning routine.

But being very socially awkward after growing up with just a few people around him, Syaoran always blushed every time a nursed helped him to the bathroom or helped him with anything. In fact, he was basically socially awkward around any girl other than his mom.

After getting washed up, he let himself be guided over to the bed. The nurse made sure he was comfortable in bed before smiling, "You wait here for a bit. I'll go grab you some breakfast."

Syaoran nodded, all the while burning holes at the ceiling with his eyes to avoid looking at the nurse. She turned on her heels and exited the room, but forgetting to close the door. Syaoran called out to her but she left so quickly, she couldn't hear him.

"Oh well," though Syaoran. After all, he was tired of seeing just four walls every day since he landed himself in the hospital. He picked up where he left off in his novel and became so absorbed that he didn't even notice the nurse had forgotten about his breakfast.

He also didn't notice a quick pitter pattering coming from down the hall.

"Kero, stop running!" gasped Sakura, a little girl 7 years old. Kero, her golden furred hamster only looked at her, squeaked a protest, and continued tearing down the hall. Sakura puffed out her cheek in frustration and kept running after him.

She came out to the hospital with her dad and big brother to pick up some special medicine for her sick mom but took Kero with her just in case she was bored. She never thought he would escape from her jacket pocket and run amok in the hospital.

"Kero!" cried Sakura, starting to get desperate. She could already picture the angry look her father would give her and the smug smile her brother Touya would flash at her. The only place she'd be seeing if this lets out would probably be school and home. Terrified, Sakura quickened her pace and slowly closed in on Kero.

Kero panicked and made a sharp turn into the only open door in the long hallway.

"Oh, no. You're not getting away! Being the best PE student in her grade, Sakura turned on her heels and followed Kero through the door.

She lunged at the last moment and caught Kero in between her hands, "Got you!" she exclaimed happily. Kero made some futile attempts to escape while Sakura readjusted herself on the floor and panted heavily. She giggled and teased Kero with her finger.

In front of Sakura, Syaoran sat on his bed with his jaw dropped and his book still held up. His eyes were wide open and blood rushed up to his face. His mouth opened and closed like a fish's as he searched for the appropriate words to say.

Sakura still sat cross legged on the floor, finger torturing Kero and laughing at Kero's responses. Her head was kept down and her auburn hair fell over the front of her face.

Syaoran calmed down and stared at the girl. He first noticed how they seemed to be of similar age and next noticed how she was basically performing an act of animal cruelty.

"Um... excuse me," Syaoran whispered. Sakura snapped her head up and for the first time, remembered that she wasn't at home. Her green eyes locked onto his amber. She jumped up quickly and started apologizing furiously for barging in.

But Syaoran barely understood anything she had said. He saw the one flitting moment of happiness before she realized where she was and became captivated. Her laugh rang inside his ears and her smiling face burned into his mind. At that moment, he knew.

He had finally found his sun.

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Thank you for reading and please review! All critiques welcomed. It's been a long time since I wrote a fanfic. Hope you enjoyed chapter 1 and chapter 2 to come soon.


	2. Prologue 2: The First Talk

**Disclaimer: I don't own CCS**

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Prologue Part 2:

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to come in. It's just my hamster escaped and, I ran after him, and he turned the corner, and he came in here, and I forgot…"

Sakura kept trying to explain herself to Syaoran while fiddling with Kero. She nervously pulled on Kero's arms, legs, and nudged him this way and that in her hands as she stammered.

Syaoran just stared dumbly at the girl in front of him. He didn't know how to continue from their so called conversation. He started playing around with the pages of his book with his head down and looked up to glance at Sakura every now and then to see if she was done.

"...he's safe now don't worry because I'm making sure he stays in my pocket this time…" Sakura continued to ramble on listlessly, unaware of the embarrassed boy on the bed.

Syaoran squeezed his eyes shut and managed to say softly, "It's ok," tentatively. Sakura stopped talking and looked curiously at him. She noticed how lonely he looked on the bed and how dreary the room felt.

Sakura took a step forward, bent down, and cocked her head to look him straight in the eyes. She smiled brightly, "Hello!" and, carried by her curiosity, asked, "Why are you in here?"

Syaoran was blushing madly now. He couldn't believe he was actually starting a conversation with a girl. He hesitated a moment, cleared his throat, and replied slowly, "I broke my leg."

Sakura's mouth formed an O as she nodded like a wise old man. "Well, um… I can't stay long so I'm gonna go now. Bye-"

"Wait!"

Sakura stood stiff, surprised by the sudden outburst. Syaoran asked quickly, "What's your name?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes and looked at him suspiciously, "My dad told me not to talk to strangers. I'm not even supposed to talk to you in the first place."

Syaoran rolled his eyes and retorted, "Yea, well, look who came rolling into my room first." His response came out so naturally that he was surprised at himself. Mentally, he slapped himself for being sarcastic and rude.

But that did it for Sakura. She blushed lightly as she realized she had approached the stranger in front of her first but she reminded herself that it was Kero's fault in the first place. But now she was really dreading to see her dad and Touya again after they find out all the trouble she has caused. Groaning, she decided she might as well spend some time with the boy before getting grounded. He didn't seem so bad to her anyway.

"You first," countered Sakura. She took a seat right next to him on the bed uninvited.

Syaoran's eyes bulged at how close he was with a girl.

"Syaoran Li. And you?"

"Sakura Kinomoto."

An awkward silence filled the room as both fiddled with hands and book respectively. Neither knew how to continue the conversation. This being his first time so close with a girl his age, Syaoran's mind was racing through all the lines he heard TV characters say to break the ice. He remembered some asking about the weather, hobbies, and creepy lines like, "Do you believe in ghosts?" but decided none of those questions were ones he would ask and would probably just reinforce the ice. Just as he was about to ask why she was at the hospital, Sakura leapt to her feet and dashed over to the window.

"It's so gloomy in here," she exclaimed hurriedly, "let me help you open your curtains!" Before Syaoran could say anything, she had already pushed aside the curtains.

Sunlight flooded into the room and Syaoran quickly threw his covers over his body yelling, "Close it! Close it!"

Confused, Sakura turned around and asked, "What?" but without waiting for an answer, she closed the curtains back again. She looked at the shivering figure beneath the covers and tentatively poked at the biggest bulge. The bulge threw back the covers immediately.

"Why'd you poke my butt?" asked Syaoran angrily.

Sakura burst into a fit of giggles and managed to squeeze out, "Why can't I open the windows?"

"…Don't laugh."

Sakura took a big gulp of air in to calm herself down and looked him straight in the eyes. The little girl reassured him warmly, "I won't!"

Syaoran paused, "I.. am allergic to the sun." He waited a long time for a response from Sakura but got nothing out of her. "I'm done."

"Oh, that's it?" she asked surprised.

"Well, yea. But I haven't been able to go out under the sun since I was born so I'm sorry if the room is a bit gloomy." Syaoran bit his lip. He didn't mean for so much of his sarcasm to escape in one day. This girl was making him act in a very unexpected manner.

Sakura sat back down by him and took his hands in hers. She laid her head down gently by his side, wary of his leg. The book flopped off to the side, forgotten. Petting his hands gently, Sakura began humming a soft tune. Syaoran sat entranced by the scene before his eyes. She had closed her eyelids while humming, allowing Syaoran to take in as much of her beauty as he could. He stared fascinated by the soft locks of her short auburn hair, the small dorky looking red hair band she wore, and her small hands. The yellow dress she wore fell right to her knee and formed light ruffles. Staring at the top of her head, he could barely stop himself from patting her.

Sakura finished her tune and looked up at Syaoran wearing a toothy grin. "My mommy always said that when people are sick, they just need someone to sing to them and pray that they get better! So I just prayed for you. And don't worry. I sing for mommy all the time and she's fine!"

Syaoran gazed into her eyes and gave her a half-hearted smile, "Thanks," he began, while staring at his hands held by her much smaller pair. He continued, "But I already know I can't get better. I've already seen so many doctors and tried so many different kinds of medicine." He sighed heavily, "I don't think I'll ever get the chance to go out into the sun without being scared of my allergies." He glanced over at Sakura and found that an intense pair of green eyes stared back at him.

Sakura gave his hands a tight squeeze and asserted, "No. You will get better. I believe in you. And when you do, you can come play with me!" She sat back up and puffed out her chest proudly, "I may not look like it but I'm good at PE. So I can teach you to play all kinds of different sports. We can sweat together under the sun!"

"Ewwwww."

"I mean, we can have fun together. Lots of fun!" said Sakura, oblivious to how she said a rather disturbing statement. Amused, Syaoran chuckled and watched as she leapt around the room, animated, with her arms flung out demonstrating how to run like a ninja, and later, legs outstretched, pretending to kick a soccer ball. Just watching her was tiring because she was so energetic. Syaoran could feel the warmth emanate from her. She hadn't even spent more than an hour with him and was already acting like they were best friends.

Syaoran subconsciously touched the top of his right hand with his left to try and replicate the feel of her small hands over his. But it was different. The sensation was unique, indescribable, unbelievably warm. And no one had given him this much hope in years.

"Oh, no!"

Sakura stopped spinning on her toes like a ballerina. "I need to go!" she exclaimed, "My dad and brother must be looking for me by now." She groaned thinking how much more trouble she could possibly get into by now. Looking at the clock, she shoved the thought outside and turned to Syaoran, "I gotta go."

Cursing his broken leg that stopped him from chasing after her, Syaoran tried looking suave and asked with a hopeful smile, "Will I see you again?"

"Hmm… probably not."

The smile was getting harder and harder to maintain. He desperately searched for something to say to keep her around. Maybe he could fall off of his bed...

"But it's ok!"

Sakura's chirp interrupted his line of thought. "Just come and find me when you're all better. But you have to promise me. You need to fix your sun allergies before you come see me." Syaoran nodded obediently. Sakura smiled brightly, "Good! And I promise, we will be best friends and we'll play together every day!" Syaoran nodded assertively this time.

"Ask around for Sakura Kinomoto in Tomoeda. I'm sure you can find me. See you and feel better!" She turned to leave while fingering her pocket for Kero who, by then, should be suffocated.

"Wait!"

Once again, Sakura was stopped by that word. She turned around questioningly.

"Thank you."

Those two words simply could not convey the gratitude in his heart at the moment. No words could. There was so much more Syaoran wanted to say but his initial embarrassment was returning and he knew saying anymore would make him look like an idiot in front of her.

Sakura didn't say anything but gave him a cheery grin and waved him good bye. Right after she left the room, Syaoran could hear her quick footsteps down the hall and loud apologies as she fled back to where her dad and brother were.

Syaoran melted back into his bed. His face felt so hot that he reached up to his forehead to feel for his temperature to make sure he didn't have a fever. The room felt emptier now than ever before after that his unexpected visitor left. Even the lighting felt darker than usual. For the rest of the day, he laid in bed deep in thought. He completely forgot about his meals and even about the few hours the sun emanated warmth through the curtains. His entire mind focused on what Sakura said.

Nearing nightfall, his mom came bustling in again. Just like yesterday, she was doing a million things other than being attentive to her son's needs. Right as she was about to leave the side of his bed, Syaoran reached out with his hand and grabbed hold of his mother's wrist. Surprised, his mom stopped what she was doing and stared at her son who had never acted this way before. She was surprised to find his pair of determined amber eyes meeting hers.

"Mom, I want to get better."

She blinked a couple times and replied, "You are getting better. Your doctor said your leg is imp-"

"No. I'm talking about my skin condition. I want to heal my allergies."

"Syaoran, we already went over this. Nothing works so-"

"No!" Syaoran grabbed both of her arms in his, "Mom, please. Can we just try again? And who knows? The last time we tried was 7 years ago. Maybe new medicine is out and I can get better!"

His mom stared at him with amazement and wondered what came over him. But she was touched by his earnest request. Ever since he was banned from going out under the sun, she could feel her son slowly wilt away at home even with the help of his sisters and Eriol. But now, it was like something in him was rekindled and set forth a sense of determination she had never seen in him before.

Syaoran continued staring at her, waiting impatiently for a response.

"Fine."

His face broke out into a huge grin.

"Thanks, mom. I'm sure there's something out there for me. I'm sure of it."

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Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I don't know exactly where I'm going with this but thank you to those who said the story was interesting. It really motivated me to keep writing. Please continue to read and review. Any suggestions and critiques are welcomed. Thank you.


	3. Chapter 1: The Fresh Start

**Disclaimer: I don't own CCS.**

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Chapter 1:

"It's just a step. It's not like you've never done this before."

"Shut up! Give me a moment."

"It's been moments already."

"Shut up."

"Come on, just a step."

"Shut up."

"You can do it."

Syaoran spun around with annoyance written all over his face and scowled at his cousin, "Shut. Up."

Eriol flashed his signature cheeky grin while leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He waited by the doorway of the Li's house for Syaoran to take a step into the sun.

Syaoran turned back around to face the outside realm. The door had already been flung open for him. Prior to this moment, Syaoran prepared himself as much as possible. It was a sunny day and he had a wide farmer's hat secured on his head, a whole bottle's worth of sunblock poured onto his body, and wore a pair of long pants complete with a long sleeved shirt. Mentally, he was busy reciting the multiplication table to keep his mind off of how many UV rays will be battering his body the instant he exposes his skin to sunlight.

If the treatment fails, he would be back on square one just like all the other failed attempts he had. His skin would blister terribly and hives would start breaking out. He didn't even have to stand long in the sun to feel the failure. The itch usually starts coming bit by bit. First the joints, then the rest of the limbs, his neck, his face. Before long, he would be scrambling back into the house, cursing under his breath.

That's why it is completely believable that Syaoran actually spent nine long years trying treatment after treatment, facing failure after failure.

First off, he tried the doctor-prescribed chemicals. There were so many. He gave each ointment and treatment a good two months' worth of attention before experimenting with real sunlight. Then when his skin started itching again, he would have to give it another two months at least for his skin to recuperate. Rinse and repeat. This alone took up six years of time. In reality, he only tested about 18 types of ointment and treatments. It really wasn't much given the amount of time. But his skin remained stubborn.

Next, he tried a variety of strange ethnic remedies. He lost count on how many herbal drinks he had and how many times he just sat and let people throw rice into his face while prancing around like monkeys chanting to the gods. For these remedies, he traveled the world. Nigeria, Cuba, Korea, and even his homeland, China, were just a few of the countries he visited. This took up a good two years of time since he also had to find time for his home school studies.

And finally, he was trying the most recent biotechnology designed to alter the skin. He had to withstand uncountable needle probes in order to ensure success. But even then, he still had his doubts. After all, this was a relatively new invention and he had learned the hard way that having no hopes meant having no disappointments.

Luckily, Eriol and his sisters accompanied him this whole time. They couldn't travel with him, but they always called him and spent time cheering him up through the phone. Eriol, unfortunately, managed to irritate him even from across the sea by sending him miscellaneous gifts that an underage teenager should not be able to obtain. To Eriol's amusement, they caused Syaoran quite a lot of troubles and misunderstandings, not to mention days of blushing at the unnecessary attention people gave him after seeing him with the gifts. Of course, it didn't help that he never stepped out during the day either. That left much to people's imaginations.

But he really had to thank his mother. The expenses for his treatments kept accumulating but his mother never complained. She worked hard to support the household in the past and luckily, her efforts paid off. She was able to finance Syaoran's quest for a remedy. But anyone could tell it was quite a struggle even for a strong woman like her.

"Yo! Wake up!"

Syaoran jerked his neck around at the sound of Eriol's voice to find him still waiting by the door for him to make a move.

"If you're going to just stand there and daydream, I might as well just give you some physical encouragement." Eriol winked and extended both of his arms with his palms facing front. Syaoran rolled his eyes at the threat. He looked at the cement porch right in front of him, closed his eyes, and took a step.

He slowly brought his head back up and opened his eyes, anticipating the tingles he should soon feel from the waves of itch. He started sweating not from the heat, but instead, the tension. Eriol remained quiet in the back. As much as he loved teasing his cousin, he also wished him the best. After all, he had been there to witness every failure Syaoran experienced since he was seven.

A minute passed, and another. Five minutes passed, and another five. It was getting harder to breathe due to the anxiety and Syaoran was beginning to feel the heat and sweat accumulating all over his body. But he was smiling so wide that his face was even brighter than the sun. He knew by now, it had worked. All these years of pain and effort had paid off.

He was cured.

Yet, he couldn't understand why the world started spinning before his eyes. Why everything became dark around him even though it was still clearly the middle of the day. Before he knew it, the ground gave way beneath him and he felt himself falling…

* * *

"Wake up! Syaoran, wake up!"

Syaoran groaned and squinted. He blinked a few times for his vision to return. From the bed, he looked up and noticed several faces huddled close above him.

"Eriol?"

Eriol and his four older sisters sat back with a sigh of relief. Eriol teased, "My, Syaoran, I'm so touched that I'm the one you recognized first!"

"Don't be stupid," Syaoran groaned as he pushed himself up. He was still too dazed to properly counter Eriol. Rubbing his head, he moaned, "Where am I? What happened?"

"Shhh," hushed his sister, Feimei, "You fainted after you went out in the sun."

His other sister, Fanren, added, "We all came rushing home from work the minute we heard about it from Eriol. Mother would be here too but she got caught up by work." She paused, "How do you feel?"

The other two sisters, Fuutie and Shiefa, stared at Syaoran, faces full of worry.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired." Syaoran said with a wave of his hand.

"Are you itching?"

Silence fell across the room after Eriol asked the big question. Everyone but Syaoran held their breath in suspense. Wordlessly, Syaoran scooted back in bed and pulled the covers over his face. Outside, the sisters and Eriol traded disappointed looks while looking at Syaoran with obvious pity.

After a long and depressing pause, he murmured from beneath the covers softly, "No."

The room broke out in loud squeals as the four sisters jumped up in delight. Eriol snatched Syaoran's covers back to find his face painted with a giant grin and a pair of wet eyes. Laughing, he punched Syaoran's shoulder, "Oh grow up you big baby! You finally found your cure!"

"I can't help it if dust from the covers gets into my eyes."

"Oh, stop," chided Eriol. "Wait," he paused, "then why did you faint?"

The four women stopped celebrating.

Syaoran replied with a tone of wonder, "I think I was just so happy I wasn't itching that… I fainted from happiness."

Silence fell into the room.

"Well, that's awkward."

* * *

The following two weeks, Syaoran took several trips to the hospital for follow up treatments and to confirm his good news. He continued to experiment with the sun. He would stay out for longer and longer periods of time just to get used to the new sensation. Slowly, he was able to brave the sun without his farmer's hat and long sleeved shirt and pants. But he still wore the sunblock. It's better to be safe than sorry! But gradually, it became clear that his skin condition had finally receded and he can attend school normally.

His mother insisted that he just completed his high school studies at home with his regular tutors but Syaoran insisted that he enroll in a regular school.

Unknown to all of his family members, he had been keeping tabs on Kinomoto Sakura ever since the day she fled from his hospital room. After all, she did promise they would be friends.

In a way, he became a stalker. But his methods differed greatly from any ordinary stalker.

See, stalkers typically physically follow their target around throughout the day and night, waiting for a chance to attack. But Syaoran did none of that. Instead, he used Eriol.

To be precise, he used Eriol's yearbooks to stalk her.

It was two years since his hospital trip and he was still busy trying out the doctor-prescribed medicine. He was alone at home and bored. Being a lover of books, Eriol's new fourth grade yearbook caught his eye. Absentmindedly, he flipped through and skimmed for embarrassing photos Eriol. He snickered when he came across a picture of Eriol sulking with pie all over the top of his blue hair. And when he saw Eriol's portrait photo, he grabbed a marker delightfully and blessed Eriol with a mustache and some longer eyebrows.

But as he was continuing his search for Eriol pictures, a familiar face caught his eye. He flipped around for the page and sure enough, he found her.

Sakura Kinomoto was attending Eriol's school, Tomoeda Elementary.

Ever since that day, all he had to do was pray that she didn't move and stayed in Tomoeda just like she promised him. And luckily for him, he was able to find her each and every year in the yearbooks. It may sound slightly creepy, but he watched her grow and mature before his eyes.

Over the years, he himself also matured physically. Being alone at home for the most part, he found himself lifting weights for fun and running on his Track Master treadmill for the most part. So even though he didn't go out at all, he didn't deteriorate into a piece of flabby meat. Instead, his body physique improved and his muscles toned. But his mind was still that of a child's. He never really had an opportunity to make new friends his age or to experience what society was like, causing him to be ridiculously socially awkward.

But as Syaoran was getting ready for his first day of school at Tomoeda High, he was sure he would be fine. How hard could it be? Syaoran scoffed at the idea of being awkward. After all, he already accomplished the hardest task ever: healing his skin. Any other obstacles should surely be a cake walk.

He looked himself over in the mirror.

His beast of a messy chocolate hair had finally been tamed and slicked back for the occasion. Wanting to leave a nice professional impression, he chose a button up green shirt complete with a pair of long khaki pants. He made sure that his fly was zipped to leave no room for embarrassment. Knowing how important it was to accessorize at school to look cool, he chose a nice yellow bow tie to finish off his outfit.

The bowtie looked a bit crooked… he gingerly adjusted it and nodded at his job well done. He checked his feet to make sure he had on a pair of clean socks. Can't smell bad on the first day of school! Backpack, books, supplies? Got them.

Syaoran practiced a smile and a wink at the mirror. Perfect.

He was ready for school.

* * *

_I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this!_

"Everyone, we have a new student today."

_The door looks so close but why is it so awfully far?! _

"This is his first time at a public school. Please welcome…"

Thirty pairs of eyes concentrated on Syaoran's face. Syaoran's facial expression could only be described as… inconsistent.

The teacher, Mr. Terada, turned around to the chalkboard and jotted down "Syaoran Li" loudly. Dusting his hands from the chalk, he smiled warmly, "Mr. Li, why don't you introduce yourself to us before we begin?"

It was more of a statement than a question. Syaoran stood rooted to the spot. He managed to steady his facial expressions so that he was smiling to the class, or at least he hoped that he was smiling to the class. He opened his mouth to say "Hi! I'm Syaoran Li! Nice to meet you," just like how he rehearsed in his head a million times after walking into the classroom. But his jaw froze the moment he unlocked it. Silence ensued. Thirty pairs of eyes continued watching Syaoran curiously, their owners waiting for his introduction.

All the confidence Syaoran had this morning seemed to have abandoned him.

_Work, vocal chords! Work!_

Syaoran forced his voice back up his throat, but he must've been too nervous. Instead of speaking, he doubled over and started coughing and hacking.

"Hey!" Mr. Terada cried out and immediately started thumping Syaoran's back. His voice laced with worry, he asked, "Are you ok? Do you need to see the nurse?"

_Oh god. Nurse. A woman!_

Even while coughing, Syaoran immediately recognized the threat of being left alone with a woman in a room.

_That's even worse than being in a class full of… people._

He shuddered at the thought and limply waved the teacher off. Mr. Terada frowned, "Well, since you don't seem well at the moment, we can postpone the introduction." He quickly scanned the room and pointed, "Your new seat will be there in the back by the window."

It had not even been ten minutes of class and he already missed home so dreadfully much. Still coughing, Syaoran made his way slowly to the back. The poor students he walked by leaned away as discreetly as possible but it was obvious that Syaoran made a great impression as The Plague. Embarrassed, Syaoran tried to stifle his coughing as much as possible only to have the cough rise back up angrier than ever before. He caught whispers here and there from his lovely classmates.

"Psst! Do you smell that?"

"I didn't do it."

"No- wait, what?!"

"Ooh… It's sunblock!" His classmates broke out in a quiet laugh.

Syaoran groaned in his head. He muttered sarcastically, "Perfect. Just perfect."

It seemed like it took an eternity but he finally reached his desk and his lungs started stabilizing. Students in front of him stole glances at him with looks of amusement.

Just as he was putting down his backpack and about to take a seat, he heard someone whisper loudly, "Poor Sakura!"

Syaoran's ears perked up at the familiar name.

_Naw, it can't be- HOLY COW._

Kinomoto Sakura sat right in front of him. Syaoran's eyes widened in surprise and his heart pounded with delight. Before enrolling, he wasn't sure if she was still at the school. Of course, if he had asked Eriol about her, he would never hear the end of it. But he finally found her again! His sun! For the first time since entering the classroom, Syaoran smiled genuinely.

Sakura felt his gaze behind her and swiveled around in her seat. They made eye contact.

Syaoran immediately noticed that she was much prettier in person than in yearbook. He sat up straighter in his chair with his hands clasped out in front of him. A big goofy grin was plastered on his face as he waited expectedly for Sakura to greet him just like she did in the hospital.

Sakura wore a serene facial expression as she took in the sight of her new neighbor. She looked him up and down. Syaoran inched a little closer to her, still smiling like a puppy.

But then, the sides of her lip dropped. She glared coldly,

"Get lost."

* * *

Thanks for following the story and reviewing and please continue to share your opinions! It gives me quite the warm fuzzy feeling inside knowing that my writing is being read.


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